


bewitch me

by AngelycDevil



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Baker!Bucky, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Potions, Steve Needs a Hug, Witch!Steve, fluff topped with fluff, love spells, potions shop owner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 15:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9663587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelycDevil/pseuds/AngelycDevil
Summary: For all of his life, Steve Rogers has known what he wants. More accurately, who he wants. For all of his life, he has known he can never have what he wants because his love doesn't want him back...or does he? Steve has to know.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Smooches to twifey for dealing with my crazy hyper ass. Unbeta'd.

Steve Rogers is an honest, hard-working person and he takes great pride in that fact.

He’d never had it easy in life, yet he made the best of his situation. He might not to particularly handsome, popular, healthy or rich, but he’s a glass-half-full type of guy. He has a roof over his head, a handful of great friends and a steady potions business which is hard to accomplish in this economy. Growing up, his mother had instilled an excellent work ethic in him that carried him thus far and he knows,  _ he knows _ , that this is wrong. It’s unethical. It’s immoral. It’s everything that he’s not.

But he’s lonely and he  _ wants _ . He wants someone to clutter his home. He wants someone to wake up with. He wants someone to hold his hand, to kiss his cheek, to hug him and  _ be there. _

He wants that person to be Bucky Barnes.

Bucky Barnes has been in his life for as long as Steve remembers. They’d been neighbors growing up and he is the only person in Steve’s life that’s always been there for him—not because someone forced him to be, but because he  _ wants _ to be. This simple fact did wonders for Steve growing up because Bucky is normal. He’s a sweet-talker with a charming smile and just enough of a mischievous glint in his eyes that girls (and Steve) find him irresistible. It’s only natural for Steve to fall in love with him, yes?

For what it’s worth, Steve had resisted for so long, swallowing words, turning away, and locking this emotion into the deepest parts of his brain because Bucky doesn’t like him  _ like that _ . He was sure of it for so long and then, last night—

Steve inhales deeply and returns to grinding the ingredients together. He’s never done a love potion before. He’s never believed in forcing people into anything, much less something as permanent as love. But last night after…well, more like early morning, after hours of throwing himself into spell books, he’d come across a milder dose. One that lasts only a few minutes and a tendril of hope rooted itself in Steve’s heart.

He just needs to know. If Bucky is capable of loving him  _ like that _ . If that look in Bucky’s eyes means what he wants it to mean.

And if nothing happens after that, everything will go back to as it was. It will. It has to. He can’t lose Bucky.

Steve adds the last ingredient with a flourish and tries not to smile at the result.

~.o0o.~

Getting Bucky to take the potion will be easy since Bucky practically lives in Steve’s tiny apartment above his shop. He’s done so ever since he started apprenticing at the bakery a few doors down. Bucky discovered his passion for baking halfway through a finance degree, so he forcing himself to complete it while pursing baking as well. Steve has never been more proud. Also, being a baker’s apprentice comes with the perks of bringing back all sorts of delicious goodies that Steve will never refuse.

They take it with tea, perched on the kitchen counter as they exchange stories. This is naturally the perfect spot for Steve to slip in a few drops of the love potion into Bucky.

Breathing deeply and clearing his mind, Steve prepares the tea as he usually does. As if today is just like any other day. Not special. At all.

The door chimes when Bucky enters the shop and Steve does  _ not _ jump like an anxious kitty coming across a lizard for the first time, but if he does, Bucky doesn’t say anything as he plops on the counter with a paper bag with a bright “guess what we made today!”

“Um…frog-shaped chocolate stuffed with peach marshmallows,” Steve spouts out the first ridiculous choice that comes to mind.

Bucky huffs loudly behind him and Steve can hear his eye-roll. “Gross. Who wants to eat frog-shaped things? Peggy taught me how to bake macaroons, Stevie.”

“Are those the ones Tony is always braggin’ ‘bout?”

“Yup, those exact ones and lemme tell ya, Stevie,  _ he was so right _ .”

“Oh, is that why I’m making the fancy tea?”

“Why else?” Bucky twists around Steve in the tiny kitchen, brushing along Steve’s back, to get to the plates. Steve holds himself very still and casually pours the potion into Bucky’s tea.  _ I’m sorry,  _ he confesses in his mind.  _ I’m sorry I’m not brave enough to ask you about this. _

They settle in their usual spots and Steve attempts normalcy, recollecting the events of his day. He thinks he’s doing a fairly decent job until Bucky places a hand on Steve’s knee to gain his attention and asks him if he’s alright. Nearly choking on his food, Steve waves him off and asks him about the macaroon’s secret recipe while waiting for Bucky to take a sip of his tea. Bucky, of course, refuses before teasing him about his horrendous kitchen skills while the pit in Steve’s gut deepens and he interlocks his fingers together tightly to stop from fidgeting. He needs to know. Besides, it’s not like he’s forcing Bucky into anything. He’s not using the potion for… _ immoral _ purposes. It won’t last long. It’ll be fine. It’s okay, right? Right?

No.

_ No. _

What is he  _ doing _ ?

Quickly, he grabs Bucky’s tea before Bucky reaches for it and dumps it down to the sink.

_ Shit. _

“Indian darjeeling would go better with these macaroons,” Steve mutters without looking up at Bucky and goes about making another cup of tea as if his heart isn’t pounding in his chest. How could he have thought a moment that  _ this _ is an option? Would he give anything to know? Yes. But making Bucky say it instead of asking him…it’s a coward’s way out and so fucking wrong.

_ Jesus. _

Steve steeps the tea into the cup and slides Bucky’s cup towards him before making his own.

Bucky doesn’t say anything. Embarrassment roars through Steve’s ears drowning out the muted noises of the outside world. His anger spikes as porcelain  _ clink _ ing against metal as Steve makes his tea. How could he does this? How could he think like this? His Mama raised him better. She raised him to responsible with his magic. To help others. To be kind. And here he is, abusing that power. And then to his utter mortification, his eyes fill with tears, teetering on the edge of his eyelids.

Bucky notices.

Steve runs.

Before Bucky is out of his seat, Steve is in his room, locked door and all. He can’t stop the tears from falling then in ugly, gasping sobs. They’re almost louder than Bucky’s frantic steps as they run up to his room.

“Steve?”

“Stevie, what’s wrong?”

“Steve, open the door!”

But he can’t.

He can’t let Bucky see him like this. He can’t let Bucky feel sorry for him when he’d almost—

Steve brings his knees closer to his chest and for a moment, he feel warmer. He feels comfort.

Then the cold wraps around him, stifling and sharp; the wind blows through the house, swift and uninterrupted; and there is Steve, alone and small.

Steve muffles another cry into his forearm as Bucky pounds on his door.

He’s alone and the house is so big and his mom isn’t here anymore to fill it up with sunshine laughter.

Steve gasps as the loneliness sinks under his skin like water on sand.

The knocking stops.

Steve wipes his eyes.

There’s a soft dragging noise from the other side of the door as Bucky slides to the floor. “Steve. I’m sorry.”

Steve almost laughs. He has nothing to be sorry for.

“I shouldn’t’ve left you alone today. I know it’s hard on you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

And then, “I miss her too.”

Steve lets his head fall back against the door.

“Steve, please let me in.”

“I don’t wanna.”

They stay like that for a few moments.

“Steve, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” Steve doesn’t reply. “My rent’s gonna be up at the end of the month and I don’t wanna renew it.” Steve’s too tired to reply. “I wanna move in here, Stevie. We can be roommates. We’re already best friends.” Bucky voice’s gets higher towards the end and Steve can almost see his excited smile.

Steve tries to imagine it: waking up to Bucky, coming home to Bucky, cooking with Bucky, falling asleep a few feet from Bucky.

Steve can’t hold it in anymore.

“I love you.”

A moment later. “I love you too, punk.”

“No, I—I’m.” Steve swallows and tries to find his restraint, his worries. “I’m in love with . Yeah you, Bucky.”

.

.

.

_ “Open the door, Rogers.” _

Steve complies, unlocking the door and moving away from it. Bucky twists it open immediately and shuts it close behind him.

Steve tries to look up at Bucky’s face, to read him, his reply. He can’t make himself look up.

He’s such a coward. He runs. He hides. That’s all he’s good for.

_ Jesus. _

Bucky sits before him and reaches out to grab Steve’s hand with his own. Large, warm hands curl around his skinny, cold ones.

“I’m in love with you too.”

Large, warm hands cup his cheek and their kiss feels like lavender’s touch and a new beginning. 


End file.
